Hunan, the Other World of Avatar

The most fantastic mountain under heaven...This is how the scenery is known in the Zhangjiajie National Park in China, one of the most beautiful national parks in the world. The mountain seems to have been sculpted by nature to form over 3,000 karstic peaks stretching up to the sky like sharp swords, creating mini-worlds, suspended and levitating among the swirling clouds. This unique setting inspired American director James Cameron for filming Avatar. His planet, Pandora, unmistakably resembles the world we see before us. Among the most emblematic corners of this exceptional yet unknown geological site, we shall follow outstanding people on the ground and discover the Flying Clouds, and recount the myths and beliefs that surround them. We shall also explore the Golden Whip, the river that flows through a vast canyon, from where we can admire a full range of craggy, almost grotesque summits. Along with the wonders and beauty of the park, we shall attend the annual festival of the Miao people and capture through a patchwork of details the sense and significance of a way of life, a tradition and customs that take us into a whole new dimension, that of human discovery.